Manifolds are pipes that deliver fluids through outlets that typically outnumber the inlets. Manifolds have multiple orifices distributed along their lengths that serve as fluid exits. The fluid exiting each of the orifices results in a mass flow profile for a given fluid input pressure to the manifold. The mass flow profile includes a mass flow rate and a direction and distribution of fluid flow exiting from the multiple orifices over the elongated length of the manifold.
Different applications of a manifold call for different mass flow profiles to achieve desired results. For example, one application may require a mass flow profile that is substantially consistent over the length of the manifold, i.e., fluid from each orifice having the same mass flow rate and flow direction. Another application might require an increasing, decreasing, or otherwise fluctuating mass flow profile over the length of the manifold and/or may require a direction of flow to be perpendicular or non-perpendicular to the elongated length of the manifold. Accordingly, it is beneficial to design and manufacture manifolds that have a desired mass flow profile or at least provide substantially the same results as the desired mass flow profile is expected to provide.
Designing manifolds having desired mass flow profiles has heretofore been a lengthy and expensive trial and error process whereby a manifold design is assumed to have a given mass flow profile and the manifold is manufactured and tested to find the actual mass flow profile. Only simple one-dimensional modeling has been used and the predictions of the one-dimensional model are only very loosely tied to the other two dimensions of the mass flow profile. The actual mass flow profile of the manufactured manifold deviates from the desired mass flow profile by some degree. Therefore, the manifold design must be modified according to educated guesses, re-manufactured, and then re-tested to determine whether the actual mass flow profile matches the desired mass flow profile. This process repeats until the actual and desired mass flow profiles adequately match.
It is apparent that the conventional manifold design process is overly burdensome in that each design and manufacture iteration is costly. Accordingly, it may be cost prohibitive to require a specific mass flow profile for a manifold design.